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Graphic on a blue background with an action shot of figure skates with the OUA Figure Skating logo and event details next to the photo.
March 3, 2025

Banner Season: Province’s best lace up their skates for championship performance

Burlington, Ont. – The time has come for the best in the province to lace up their skates and hit the ice at Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Figure Skating Championship set for March 4th to March 5th. The Western Mustangs are heading to the historic Mattamy Athletic Centre eyeing their third straight OUA title, as the back-to-back banner season champions hope to once again edge out the competition and skate their way to golden glory.

EVENT DETAILS

When: Tuesday, March 4th to Wednesday, March 5th, 2025
Where: Mattamy Athletic Centre
Participating Schools (10): Brock Badgers, Carleton Ravens, Guelph Gryphons, McMaster Marauders, Queen’s Gaels, Toronto Varsity Blues, TMU Bold (host), Waterloo Warriors, Western Mustangs, York Lions
Defending Champions: Western Mustangs

STUDENT-ATHLETES TO WATCH

Regina Figueroa Bautista, TMU Bold | Figueroa Bautista has had a remarkable 2024-25 season with breakthroughs on and off the ice. Pivoting from a challenging previous season, she applied her experience and directed her attention toward a new level of skating skill, leadership, and manner. The fourth-year professional communication student is a devoted and thoughtful team member who demonstrates academic excellence and exemplary sporting behaviour, while she looks to showcase her best at the OUA Championship.

Kaia Fogh, Brock Badgers | The Badgers’ team captain is a positive and encouraging role model both on and off the ice. Fogh has shown great determination and drive during her past three seasons and has competed in both free skate and dance disciplines. This year, she will be making her open rhythm dance debut with co-captain Alyssa Cross, as well as dance fours and synchro. A year ago, the Mississauga, Ont. product won the bronze medal with three of her teammates in the dance fours event.

Jaime Gabbard, Queen’s Gaels | Gabbard started skating at the age of four and immediately fell in love with the sport. After competing in three national championships and representing Canada on the international stage at 18, she made the difficult decision to hang up her skates in search of balance. Fast forward two years and her life felt incomplete without the sport. She decided to join the figure skating team at Queen’s and is currently a co-captain of the team. OUA figure skating has allowed her to see skating in a new light and rediscover the joy she once felt, and the fourth-year commerce student will don the Tricolour and compete in the novice short program, senior pairs, pairs four, and synchro this banner season.

Graham Gee, Carleton Ravens | Making his debut at the OUA Championship, Gee looks to put on solid performances and gain points for the Ravens in the star 8/9 couples dance and the men's free skate. 

Hannah Gray & Josh Andari, Western Mustangs | Both key members of the defending champion Mustangs squad, Gray from Thorndale, Ont. and Andari from Chatham, Ont. will represent the purple and silver in four events each in the team’s quest for a three-peat.

Gabrielle Guo, Toronto Varsity Blues | Guo looks to add to her medal count from last year’s OUA Championship, in which the third-year life science student earned gold in the novice short program and senior couples pairs, while adding silver in pairs fours. At the Brock Invitational this season, she placed first in the novice short program, senior pairs, and free skate fours.

Ashleen Hale, Brock Badgers | Lacing up her skates for her second year with the Badgers, Hale is the first to arrive to the rink with an eager readiness to leave it all out on the ice.  The applied linguistics student from Niagara-on-the- Lake, Ont. has improved significantly over the past year and looks to have some of her best skates yet at the OUA Championship. She will be competing in the senior pairs alongside captain Alyssa Cross, as well as free-skate fours and the synchronized skate.

Ines Jaber, TMU Bold | Jaber is one of the most dedicated athletes on the TMU roster. Since her first year with the team, the Toronto, Ont. local has been a key performer on and off the ice. She is a devoted athlete whose attention to skill development, embodiment of grace and honour, and quiet leadership has elevated the Bold over the past three years, as they prepare to make moves on the ice.

Katherine Karon, McMaster Marauders | After capturing two silver medals (gold women and senior pairs) at Brock’s Winter Invitational, Karon is ready to tear up the ice at her first OUA Ccampionship. The Windsor, Ont. product retired from Skate Canada competitions after competing at the 2023 Canadian National Skating Championships and 2023 Skate Canada Challenge. She is hoping to secure podium finishes in gold women’s and senior pairs with long-time training partner Alistair Lam, as well as competing in synchro for the first time.

Alistair Lam, McMaster Marauders | Lam is competing at his fourth and final OUA Championship and is looking to remain undefeated in the men’s open event. During the 2023-24 season, he became the first athlete in OUA history to attempt a triple axel and quadruple in competition. The Hamilton, Ont. local, Lam also has an eye on a gold medal in the senior pairs event with rookie partner Katherine Karon.

Hugo Li, Toronto Varsity Blues | Li is a team captain on the Varsity Blues squad and was a member of their last championship team in 2021-22. This year at the Brock Invitational, Li, from Markham, Ont., placed first in senior pairs and free skate fours, and added a silver in men's free skate. At the championship last year, he took home gold in senior couples pairs, a silver medal in the star 8/9 couples dance, and a silver in the gold men’s free program, adding to his impressive hardware collection.

Zander Neilsen, Queen’s Gaels | Neilson trained at the Preston Figure Skating Club under Kevin and Michelle Wheeler in 2019, where he landed all his triple jumps except for the axel. He has competed at Skate Canada Challenge twice, but his competitive season was cut short due to COVID. Queen’s figure skating allowed him to re-engage in what he was missing. Since joining the team and taking on the co-captain position, the third-year political studies student has skated to podium finishes at many competitions. He secured a silver medal in men’s free skate at the 2023 OUA Championship and a silver and bronze medal in artistic and synchronized skating, respectively, at the 2024 provincial finale.

Emmaline Stark, Waterloo Warriors | Stark jumped in as a last-minute replacement in her first and second year at the OUA Championship and captured seventh place in the star 10 couples dance. In her third year of competition, the environmental science student came in as an underdog, but finished first at the invitational in star 10 couples dance and claimed the bronze medal at OUA Championship.

Sophia Thomas, York Lions | The fifth-year kinesiology student will be competing in her third OUA Championship. Thomas brings lots of competition experience to the provincial stage as a former junior women’s competitor.

BURNING QUESTIONS

  1. Will the Western Mustangs skate their way to the three-peat?
  2. Will the TMU Bold complete clean and clear programs on their home ice that each skater will be proud of?
  3. Will the Warriors come away from the OUA Championship with another improved score from the year before?
  4. Building off their eight straight podium finishes, can the Blues retake the coveted gold medal position for the first time since 2021-22?

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING

"Our team of coaches is looking forward to seeing each skater put out programs that they can be proud of. The team has been working so hard this season, and we are just excited to be able to show everyone what our badgers have to offer!" - Figure Skating Coaching Staff, Brock Badgers

“I couldn’t be prouder of my team’s motivation and work ethic this season. We were ecstatic after our second place finish at the Winter Invitational and are excited to showcase the events that haven’t competed yet this season. We have an extremely talented team this year and are hoping to hang on to a podium finish at the OUA Championship.” - Rian Cocchetto, Co-captain, McMaster Marauders  

“Locked in - It refers to a mental state that involves absolute focus or determination to achieve a goal or objective. In other words, there are no distractions present, with 100% of physical and mental attention being devoted to the task at hand.” - Johnny Yap, Team Manager and Mental Trainer, Queen’s Gaels

“The opportunity to perform at Nathan Phillip Square for the Spring Festival Celebrations really brought the team together and was not only a great opportunity to get some performance practice under our belt, but allowed us to really create some core team memories for the season which ultimately led to our win at the Brock invitational. Now, ahead of the OUA Championship, we are definitely dialed in, ready to put our best foot forward, and wish to bring the championship title back to U of T.” - Brittany de Lapeyre, Head Coach, Toronto Varsity Blues

"Feeling nice and refreshed for this championship. Probably I should feel a bit nervous and anxious too, but that’ll come closer to surely. My goal at this championship is to demonstrate all of my improvements from last year and show everyone my love for figure skating. Landing all my jumps and doing all of my spins is a big ask, but I am confident that all our hard work will pay off!" - Edward Yang, Student-Athlete, Waterloo Warriors